Mad Musings On: The Unnaturalists, Tiffany Trent

THE BLURB (From Goodreads):

             In an alternate London where magical creatures are preserved in a museum, two teens find themselves caught in a web of intrigue, deception, and danger.

Vespa Nyx wants nothing more than to spend the rest of her life cataloging Unnatural creatures in her father’s museum, but as she gets older, the requirement to become a lady and find a husband is looming large. Syrus Reed’s Tinker family has always served and revered the Unnaturals from afar, but when his family is captured to be refinery slaves, he finds that his fate may be bound up with Vespa’s—and with the Unnaturals.

As the danger grows, Vespa and Syrus find themselves in a tightening web of deception and intrigue. At stake may be the fate of New London—and the world.    

MY THOUGHTS:

 I picked this book up because, for Halloween, I was all about steampunk and I wanted to immerse myself in it for October.  I've had my eye on it since this last spring.  It has a gorgeous cover, and an interesting premise.  I also wanted to get into the world of e-books, as I now have a tablet, and I wanted to try out the kindle app on it.  So this was my first e-book purchase.

 My first thought after reading The Unnaturalists were "A bit predictable, but I enjoyed the cross-over between steampunk and supernatural elements."  Oh yes, this story has paranormal-Steampunk elements: two things that are right up my alley when I choose books to read.   I thought it was funny how the world of New London (which seems to be an alternate reality created because of some scientific experiment) is a world where anything magical is anathema  and the scientific names which have shaped our history are the 'saints' there ( Saint Newton, anyone?)  It's good for a giggle.  And I love the main character's name - Vespa Nyx- it sounds so James Bond.   I also really liked the main love interest, Hal Lumin, a man of mystery.   There's also 'the other side of the story' - that being Syrus, the Tinker, who becomes an unlikely ally.  But I'm sorry to say it really was a bit predictable, as I could guess where some of the story was going, and at the same time I really hoped I was right about said predictions...   And really, can the main characters just get together already???  ;) 

All in all - this was an amusing read.  I look forward to the next book, which doesn't seem to have a name yet.... 

3 Stars

BTW - how did I like reading my first e-book on my tablet?  While I had to hold it differently than I normally like to hold my books (with my left hand, on the top - I'm strange, I know!)  I quickly found a way that was comfortable to me.  And after a few OOPS moments where I forgot to bookmark it or accidentally jumped ahead to another page (AAAHHH!!!! WHAT DID I TOUCH!!) I quite enjoyed the experience.  I almost ran out of battery one time - one of my fears -   but after playing with the font and color settings, I think I have it set to my preferences.  It's didn't bother me like I thought it might, being that it's a tablet and not an e-reader.  Definitely better than reading on the laptop.  Although I still prefer real books, I'll be reading another e-book soon - which one shall it be?